Investigation And Study For Prevalent Characteristics Of Birth Defects In Shanxi Province As Well As Knowledge And Attitudes Related To Women At Child-Bearing Age

Purpose: In this dissertation, you can learn the following things: occurring level and distributing features of birth defects in Shanxi province; basic situation of pregnancy and giving birth for women at child-bearing age; about grasping level of eugenic knowledge; the state of medical and birth control establishments' providing eugenic service; demand for eugenic service to women at child-bearing age. By learning above things, we can provide evidence for the whole scheme of working out and enforcing eugenic service as well as intervening measures.Method: We adopted the method of random whole group sampling, which selected four typical counties in the whole province. Each county randomly sampled 750 women at child-bearing age between 18 and 45 from 5-6 villages. Then the investigators who have received unified training go into each woman's house and conduct investigations with questionnaire, which includes theirknowledge, attitudes and practice on the basic situation of pregnancy and giving birth; eugenic and excellent pregnancy; reproductive health service.Result: The number of investigated women is 3007, who have been pregnant 5666 times, which include the condition of living birth, present pregnancy, dead foetus and birth, natural abortion, induced abortion and labor. During the investigation, we found 91 cases of birth defects, the happening rate 160.61/10,000. among which there are 27 cases of nerve tube defects, covering 29.67 percent. Besides, the happening rate of birth defects significantly varies from place to place. The birth defects have no relations to sex, seasons, but to the age of giving birth and times of pregnancy. The chance of birth defects increases as mothers are getting older and the times of pregnancy become much more. The happening rate of birth defects in our province has not dropped for nearly 20 years. During the investigation, 17.89 percent of women at child-bearing age have contact with pesticide and fertilizer, which we doubt to be the factors of deformity. Only 9.15 percent of women at child-bearing age know that supplementing folic acid can mainly protect against nerve tube defects.Conclusion: The happening rate of birth defects in our province is relatively higher. The cultural quality of mass women is very low, whose knowledge of eugenic and excellent pregnancy is inadequate. The service types from grass-roots medical service establishments is less, which cannot meet the demands of local women. So we should improve the cultural quality of women, popularize knowledge for eugenics, excellent pregnancy and reproductive health, strengthen pre-martial check-ups and antenatal examination.